(1)
Family history tells us that Jean Bertrand Pousson donated land for the Chataignier Catholic Church and the Lacassine Catholic Church and his cousin, Mathieu Pousson, donated land for the Iota Catholic Church.
The donation for the Iota Church - records are shown in the Pousson Book (exhibit 142,143,144, and 145)
The donation for the Chataignier Church - records are shown in the Pousson Book (exhibit 51 and 51A)
The donation for the Lacassine Church is harder to substantiate.
Trying to find "proof" of this donation
St. John - Lacassine, La.
Land donation to church by Bertrand Pousson about 1880.
Jean Bertrand moved to what is now Lacassine about 1870-1871 and he died 19 Mar. 1881.
Civil records
As we know, Lacassine is located in what is now Jefferson Davis Parish. When Jean Bertrand Pousson gave his land to the church in Lacassine (about 1880), Lacassine was part of Imperial Calcasieu Parish.
(Imperial Calcasieu Parish was organized as a parish on 24 Mar 1840.)
Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court - Lake Charles, La.
“Special Note: due to fire on April 23, 1910 many of our early records are incomplete. Some were saved and others restored but many of our 1800-1910 records have been lost.”
via - email from Clerk of Court - As of today (Oct 8th) the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court told me the only one that may have a record of this land donation would be - LEVINGSTON LAND TITLE, 110 Kirby St., Lake Charles.
I telephoned them today (Oct 8th) and spoke with Mr. Steve Franks and he was very helpful - he pulled the records of Lacassine and found a couple of land donations from Jean Bertrand Pousson to the Catholic Church. He will mail me a copy of these two land donations - as soon as he gets my check. I mailed him a $35.00 check today - I am sure that was a discounted cost since I was not a "land man". (book G-4 and book E-313)
He said one of the donations was for 20 acres and the other one was for 17 acres - but the 17 acres was not where the Church is now located. As soon as I get the documents, I will post.
Received documents today (Oct 16th):
Land documents from Lake Charles (Levingston Land Company) below:
Jean Bertrand Pousson donated 20 acres of land to the church on Apr 13, 1876 - consideration: Love & Respect he has for the Catholic Religion.
Description: E ½ of SW ¼ of SE ¼ of Sect. 30 9-5 20 acres (this is where the church and cemetery are today) = Sect 30 9-5 same as Sect 30 T9S R5W
Jean Bertrand Pousson donated 17 acres of land to the church on May 15, 1880 - consideration: Love and Respect he has for the Catholic Religion.
Description: E ½ of NW ¼ of SE ¼ of Sect 30 T9S R5W about 17 acres (this is where the church and cemetery are today)
He also donated about 40 acres to the church on May 15, 1880 - this land is about three miles southeast of Lacassine - I do not know how, when, or if the church sold this land.
Jefferson Davis Parish was one of the last incorporated Parishes in the state of Louisiana. Originally a part of
Imperial Calcasieu Parish, it became a separate entity in the year 1912.
I went to the Jenning court house today (Oct. 2, 2012) - they do not have any record for this donation.
Land records
Kind of hard to see but the church and cemetary are in the lower half of the blue shaed area.
This map shows section 30 of T9S R5W (note - each "section" has 640 acres) - Blue shaded area is what Bertrand got under his homestead grant - as I read the homestead grant (exhibit 54 in Pousson Book).
80 acres - west half of the north east quarter
80 acres - west half of the south east quarter (40 acres given to the church from this 80 acres)
Looking at Bertrand’s succession (exhibit 63-66 in Pousson Book), it appears he purchased and sold small amounts of land in addition to his 163 acre homestead.
Note that the 40 acres he “gave to the church” is NOT included in his succession so we must assume he did in fact give or sell the land to the church
Religious records
Lacassine is now under the Diocese of Lake Charles - from 1980 to current
Lacassine was under the Diocese of Lafayette - from 1918 - 1980
Lacassine was under the Diocese of New Orleans - from 1826 - 1918
I wrote an email to the Diocese of Lake Charles requesting some type of documentation concerning this land donation.
Response from Lake Charles:
Thank you for your inquiry. I am copying Mrs Jones in the office of the diocesan archivist to see if they can help you. Deacon George Carr
I called the Diocese of Lafayette requesting some type of documentation concerning this land donation.
Response from Lafayette:
They said, as of today, they do not have any documents concerning the Lacassine church. When Lake Charles became a diocese, the Lafayette diocese sent all the documents, pertaining to the new diocese’s churches, to Lake Charles.
I wrote an eamil to the Diocese of New Orleans:
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As you may know the Catholic Church (St. John) in Lacassine is now in the Lake
Charles Diocese and before that it was in the Lafayette Diocese and before that
it was in the N.O. Diocese.
The church land for St. John was given by Jean Bertrand Pousson back in about
the late 1870's. The civil "land records" for this area were lost in the Lake
Charles fire of April 1910.
As you see, the land was given to the church when Lacassine was under the N.O.
Diocese.
How do I get the "church records" for this land donation from my ancestor?
The town of Lacassine is making a "history" of the town and I think it is very
important that the "church history" play a major part in the town history.
Thank you for any help
W. Pousson
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Response from New Orleans:
Dear Mr. Pousson,
Parish files pertaining to churches that became part of the Diocese of Lafayette were have been transferred to the new diocese when it was established. You would need to ask the archives of the Dioceses of Lafayette and of Lake Charles if parish files were then transferred to the Diocese of Lake Charles.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely, Dorenda Dupont,
Archives staff Office of Archives and Records Archdiocese of New Orleans
7887 Walmsley Ave.
______________________________________
(2)
Exhibit 206
Picture of Maria (Marie) Pousson and Joseph Sensat
I have been told this may NOT be Joseph R Sensat and Maria Pousson
1- went to Egan today (Oct. 2, 2012) - went to Mr. Shelton Pousson's home (Shelton's wife is Betty Sensat daughter of Rufus Pousson son of Joseph and Maria). Mr. Shelton told me he was sure this picture is of Joseph and Maria. He also gave me a phone number of Patricia Broussard who is a daughter of Rufus Pousson and he said he thought she may have the original of this picture. Hope to visit her this week.
Called Ms Broussard and she told me she may have the picture I am looking for and may be able to identify the picture in my book if it is not Joseph and Maria. Sorry to say she hurt her back and she will call me in a few days when she feels better (hope to visit her in a couple of weeks).
Called Ms. Broussard (2nd time - Oct. 18th) she told me she would call me back in a couple of days.
Called Ms. Broussard (3rd time - Nov. 7th) recording - number not a working number??
Sad to report Ms. Broussard has never returned my call - I do not know how to get in touch with her.
2 - Mr. Joe Sensat said he thinks this is NOT Joseph and Maria. He has given me a name of Mr. Elmer Sensat, here in Lafayette, that personally knew Joseph Sensat and Maria Pousson. This Sensat told Mr. Joe that he is also sure that the picture is wrong. I hope to go to his house this week or next week.
3 - Went to Mr. Elmer Sensat's home today (Oct. 3, 2012). Mr. Elmer Sensat is 100% sure the above picture is of Orcade P. Sensat Sr. (1853-1922) and Celestine Leger (1855-1945) parents of Joseph R. Sensat - Joseph R. is the oldest son of Orcade's family. Mr. Elmer Sensat said he knows the above picture is of his grandfather. He said the picture (below) is of "Uncle Joe and two grandsons" - As per Mr. Elmer Sensat - this is a picture of Joseph R. Sensat
"Uncle Joe and two grandsons"
(3)
One of the most interesting items I found concerned Jean Bertrand Pousson Jr. (the fourth child of Jean Bertrand and Josephine Guillory).
This is what I had in my The Pousson Families of Louisiana (update 2002):
IV - Jean Bertrand Pousson Jr.
born 26 June 1850, Chataignier, La. m. Unknown. Jean Bertrand Pousson Jr. is shown on the 1860 St. Landry Parish census living with his parents in Chataignier - this is the only time I found him on any census.
We have several interesting stories that involve the "disappearance" of Jean Bertrand Jr. The main three are as follows (1) Bertrand Pousson, had been erroneously accused, by a militant gang, of killing one of their members and the gang threatened reprisal. Convinced they would eventually kill him, he fled the country, never seeing his family again. This first account was given by Philomene - Bertrand’s sister - see section II coving the life of Philomene. (2) He impregnated an unmarried girl he did not want to marry so he left the area and moved to New York or California. Note: I could not locate a Jean Bertrand Pousson Jr. on any census report for 1870 - Louisiana, New York or California. (3) The succession of Jean Bertrand Pousson and Josephine Guillory - 1912 (ref. exhibit 63, 64, 65, and 66 - next four pages) states "...that their brothers Bertrand Pousson and Jeremi (Joreme) Pousson, both died in your said Parish and State intestate, unmarried and without issue."
(1) While searching land records, I found two land claims concerning Bertrand T. Pousson (I do not know how the “T” got in his name). One for 240 acres and another one for 400 acres - both in California. I was not sure this was “our” Bertrand Pousson. (see copies of land records below)
(2) I then went to several web sites that have the census records that can be searched by names (when I first wrote the book I went to the Lake Charles library and went over several thousand names in California with no luck - but with the computers it does this job in seconds). On the 1900 Fresno census Bertrand Pousson born June 1850 - born in Louisiana and Father born in France - he is shown as a servant in the home of Mr. Jones. (see copies of 1900 census and 1920 census below)
Then on the 1920 census (not found on the 1910 census) Bertrand Pousson age 70 born in Louisiana and Father born in France - he is shown as a hired hand in the home of Edd. Clayton.
No question that this is our long lost relative (family member).
(3) As of today, I have not found his date of death or where he is buried.
(4) Here is how things are very interesting - on the land claims we find Edward D. Clayton (see 1920 census) as the heir (devisee) of Bertrand T. Pousson. When Bertrand died did someone try and find out if he had any family or did he will his 640 acres to Mr. Clayton? How did Bertrand get so much land when he is shown as a servant and/or hired hand?
Land Record showing 240 acres
Land Record showing 400 acres
1900 California census (note this is page two - next document is page one)
These three names are a continuation of the family shown on page one - Jones family)
Bertrand Pousson is shown under this family as a servant.
On the 1900 census
Under “Occupation, trade, or profession” Bertrand is shown as “Farm Laborer and Gold Miner”
1900 California census (note this is page one of two pages)
The last family on this page (Jones family) is the household of Bertrand Pousson and he is shown as a servant on page two.
1920 California Census - line 69 Bertrand Pousson living with Edd (Edward) Clayton family and is shown as a hired man. See next document for a close up of this family.
1920 California Census - line 69 Bertrand Pousson living with Edd (Edward) Clayton family and is shown as a hired man.
(4)
Found in book - "...after a brief walk through the Franklin cemetery, I did not find either Latitie's or Alexandre's grave"
Judith Lanclos was kind enough to send me these two pictures (thank you)!
